Notes from the Open-ended Working Group on Ageing – Sixth Working Session

Notes from the Open-ended Working Group on Ageing 

Sixth Working Session

NABU representatives participated in the Sixth Working Session of the Open Ended Working Group on Ageing. The meeting was held at the UN headquarters in New York City, from 14-16 July. Its primary focus pertained to issues faces by societies caused by population aging.

The session divided in six parts.  The first one was the opening session; second, third and fifth sessions were panels during which the chair listened to the input of representatives of member states and NGOs; the fourth session was consisted of a discussion; and the sixth and last session was the closing one. Representatives of member states, civil society organizations and NGOs were present during every session.

The Chair opened the general debate on the Existing International Framework on the Human Rights of Older Persons and Identification of Existing Gaps at the International Level.   Member States shared experiences, best- practices and policies, raised awareness regarding the rapid growth of the world’s elderly population.

The second session was dedicated to the Recent Policy Developments and Initiatives Concerning the Human Rights of Older Persons. This session focused on the developing of urban environments that are age-friendly, protection of the humanitarian rights of older persons, dementia, as well as on the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing.

Recent Legislative and Legal Developments and Challenges in the Human Rights of Older Persons was the theme of the third session.  Presentations focused primarily on empirical studies, gender, the rights of older persons in Africa, the protection of the human rights of older persons in the USA, and the implementation of the UN CRPD.

The fourth session consisted of a discussion moderated by Mr. Matej Marn, followed by Q &As. The participants shared their experiences, introduced new proposals, measures, and best practices pertaining to promotion and protection of rights and dignity of older persons.

The fifth session was themed Older Persons and Human Rights in the Post- 2015 Development Agenda.   

The last session focused on the last three items on the agenda [Item 5 (other matters, interactive dialogue with civil society, discussion on the way forward), Item 6 (Provisional agenda for the next working session of the Open-ended Working Group on Ageing, Consideration of the draft provisional agenda), and Item 7 (Adoption of the draft report)]. At the end, The Working Group accepted a draft of the report on the sixth working session (official document here).

The Sixth Working Session of the Open-ended Working Group on Ageing emphasized the importance of human rights of the elderly, the need for data and empirical studies on the matter, explicit addressing of laws and rules protecting the group, their health and well being.